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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28302048">Book 1: An unfortunate beginning</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomRandomRandom/pseuds/Lemony%20Potter'>Lemony Potter (RandomRandomRandom)</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomRandomRandom/pseuds/RandomRandomRandom'>RandomRandomRandom</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Potter Triplets Chronicles [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternative Universe Harry Potter, F/M, Harry Potter Has a Sibling, Harry Potter Has a Twin, Harry Potter has a triplet, Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 14:28:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,172</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28302048</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomRandomRandom/pseuds/Lemony%20Potter, https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomRandomRandom/pseuds/RandomRandomRandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dear reader,<br/>This is book 1 of the potter triplets chronicles. I urge you that there is nothing more depressing than a ruined birthday, the death of the potter parents, a suspicious looking man and cold cucumber soup.<br/>It is my solemn duty to chronicle the lives of the potters but I urge it not to be your duty to read and instead pick up something more pleasant.<br/>With due regards,<br/>Lemony Potter</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Potter Triplets Chronicles [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2072874</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A note to the reader</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dear loyal readers, </p><p>If you think this book is going to be Cinderella or Snow White with a happy ending, you are far from correct.<br/>

It is heartening that you choose to read this very book. I should thank you guys for taking the effort to take time out of your busy schedule to read this. However, I’m sorry to say that this book is not for the like hearted and is extremely unpleasant. It tells the an unhappy tale about three very unlucky triplets. Even though they are charming and clever, the Potter triplets lead lives filled with misery and woe. From the very first chapter of this story, the Potter triplets were at their home and experienced the death of their parents. For those of you who have experienced death of a loved one, I’m sure you would know that great sadness that comes with it. The story then continues on, with danger constantly lurking everywhere. 



I urge all of you to turn back from this when you can. If you think you are Gryffindor enough, I am sure the thoughts of a ruin birthday, death of the potter parents, a suspicious looking man and cold cucumber soup would put into instant misery and depression.<br/>
It is my solemn sad duty and occupation to chronicle the unpleasant lives of my cousins but there is nothing stopping you from putting this book down at once and I urge you not to make it your hobby to read it.<br/>
Your time is better off spent reading something more pleasant and happy like Snow White to prevent this tale to result in you turning into a weeping brawling mess.<br/>


With all due regard,<br/>
Lemony Potter</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A note from the editor and publisher. </p><p>Dear readers,<br/>If Lemony Potter has somehow frightened you from actually reading it, I urged you not to. Lemony Potter has a certain charm and way of exaggerating the very worse and thus, I urge you not to take anything Lemony said at face value.<br/>Happy reading,<br/>RandomRandomRandom</p><p>P.S. Greetings readers, this is Lemony. What I wrote above about the depressing tale is true and is totally not exaggerated<br/>P.P.S Yah totally Lemony. (This is RandomRandomRandom btw)<br/>*argument and fighting in the background* </p><p>—————<br/>I think it’s best with leave those two idiots to their fight. Let’s carry on with the story.<br/>Regards,<br/>MadScientist000<br/>Assistant Publisher</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Death</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 2: </p><p>It was a cooling evening when the British Wizarding World first received the news of the fateful deaths of the Potter parents. James and Lily Potter, prominent members of Magical Britain were killed in a vicious fire that burnt their family manor Potter Manor to the grounds. No one knows if the fire was accidental or was an attempted plot of murder on the Potter parents’ lives. Of course, after investigations by Aurors together with the aid of Albus Dumbledore, it has been deduced that it was indeed a plot to murder the potters by none other than Lord Voldemort. No one knows what devious motive Voldemort had for wanting to kill the potters but nevertheless, it resulted in the murder of the potter parents. Nevertheless, the James and Lily were promptly killed in the blazing inferno. Miraculously, the Potter triplets somehow amazingly survived the night and Voldemort seemed to have been temporarily defeated. No one knows the cause or reasons for this except perhaps for renowned Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. </p><p>Many wizards and witches have traveled to the scene but none could deduce a logical reason for the potter triplets survival and Voldemort’s demise. </p><p>Perhaps you my loyal readers will be able to enlighten our fellow wizards after I have recounted what actually happened that fateful night. I, Lemony Potter, have spent countless nights investigating the debris of Potter Manor. So, without further ado, on with the show....</p><p> </p><p>XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO</p><p> </p><p>On July 31 1981, James and Lily both felt the wards fall and the thought that they had been betrayed by Wormtail was the first thing to go through their minds. That, however, was quickly forgotten though as they looked at their triplet sons in horror. The time for Voldemort to mark his equal had arrived but they weren't just going to roll over and allow it.</p><p>"Lily, take Harry, Henry and Gary and run!" James yelled out. Lily only cast a brief concerned look at James before scooping her three one year old children from the floor where they had been playing together until their parents had become panicked. Today was the triplets’ first birthday and despite being in hiding, the potter parents wanted to plan a joyous grand birthday celebration but the birthday was ruined due to Wormtail’s betrayal. Lily ran up the stairs and into the nursery and dropped the boys into their joint crib before taking up a defensive position in front of the door. The cast every spell that she knew at the door in an attempt to protect her three sons from Voldemort but she knew that it was only a matter of time.</p><p>She didn't know what had happened to James but knew her fate was sealed as the door exploded and struck her in the head knocking her out instantly. Voldemort looked around the room in distaste before carelessly aiming his wand at Lily, who was currently unconscious. As the terrifying green light shot out of Voldemort’s wand, Lily’s life flashed before her eyes. Voldemort then turned his attention to the triplets and aimed the killing curse at them. </p><p>If he'd paid more attention when he cast the Killing Curse he would have seen that the boys had linked their hands together tightly and drawn themselves closer in their fear of him. The green curse struck the three identical triplets as one. His eyes widened in horror though as a flash of fire erupted from two and a bubble of magic burst into being around the third. They melted together just as his curse struck and it ricocheted off of it and hit him in the chest before he could react.</p><p>With a scream of pain his soul was ripped from his body and it felt to the ground like a rag doll.</p><p>When the Order of the Phoenix arrived almost half and hour later it was to find both boys huddled together with the burning magical bubble around them still. </p><p>Voldemort's death was announced to the Wizarding public within only four hours and the identities of Harry, Henry and Gary Potter as the Boys-Who-Lived and their saviours was known by almost every Wizard or Witch above the age of five.</p><p>XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO</p><p> </p><p>When Sirius Black arrived moments later, he screamed in pain and rage at the broken building, charging his way inside to see if his friends, his family, were still alive. He encountered James' body just inside the front door, no wand in sight. Fearing the worst, he crashed his way up the stairs, ripping up his right leg twice when the steps fell out from beneath him. Finally he reached the nursery and Lily's body lying prone on the floor. But a crying was coming from the crib and he hurried over, hoping against hope that his godsons were still alive.</p><p>There in the bottom of the crib were those three perfect faces. Lily's eyes and James' messy black hair. On opposite cheeks two raw and red lightning bolt shaped scars stood out on the pale skin of Henry and Gary. On Harry’s forehead, a lightning bolt scar could be seen. Sirius sobbed, wondering what had happened to them as he scooped them up and carried them out of the rubble of the house. Outside he found the Hogwarts gamekeeper, Hagrid, waiting for him and looking at the house in shock and horror.</p><p>"Sirius? Wha' happened?" Hagrid cried, reaching out and plucking one of the triplets from his arms.</p><p>Sirius handed him the other two triplets, Henry and Gary he thought, and moved out into the street with murder on his mind. "Take my bike and take them to Dumbledore. The Potters are dead. They'll need someone to take care of them now their parents are gone."</p><p>"Lily and James? Dead?" Hagrid was distracted as he looked at the orphaned babies in his arms, great wet tears plopping down onto Harry as they dripped from his beard. A pop sounded in the street ahead and he realized that Sirius had disapparated. "But what about Sirius?" he asked the triplets, "He's your godfather, it ought ter be him what takes care of you from now on."</p><p>Sighing, Hagrid gently placed the boys in the side car of Sirius' motorbike and climbed aboard the broad machine. He had just turned the engine and was preparing to fly back to Hogwarts when an owl fluttered down from the sky with a note clutched fiercely in her beak.</p><p>"What's this now?" the half giant muttered to himself. He opened the note and read.</p><p>———————<br/>
Dear Hagrid, </p><p>It is of the utmost importance that you bring the twins to Number Four, Privet Drive in Surrey. I fear a great calamity has occurred this night. I will meet you there in a few hours time. Even with Sirius' bike, it will take quite some time to get there.</p><p>I bid you well!</p><p>Albus Dumbledore</p><p>Headmaster, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry</p><p>————————</p><p> </p><p>Wiping the tears from his beard, Hagrid stuffed the note into one of the many pockets in his moleskin coat and pointed the bike south. No one noticed when the bike took to the air to disappear into the heavy clouds blanketing the sky that Halloween night.</p><p>Minerva McGonagall twitched her tail impatiently as she adjusted her position on the cold and hard brick wall that had been her perch all evening. Albus had told her to meet him there, something to do with the fate of the Potter boys and "their only living relatives". If the Dursleys were the triplets’ only living relatives, then she was determined that she would make a bid for the boys herself! After a full evening of watching them, she had come to the conclusion that they were the worst sort of people to be raising children. Just the way they treated their own one-year-old son was sickening! The idea of Harry, Gary and Henry Potter being spoiled to the point of rottenness was a horrible thought. She didn't think she could look Lily in the eye on the other side if she let it happen.</p><p>A flicker of light down the way caught her eyes and she peered sideways around the hydrangea bush to see a second flicker wing its way out of a lamppost and disappear somewhere near the ground further up the road. All of the lights on the road followed this strange behavior until Privet Drive was cloaked in darkness so deep only her feline senses could pierce it. The source of this strangeness approached, his long white hair and beard tucked neatly into the belt holding his sky blue robes snug around his waist.</p><p>The elderly man spotted her almost immediately, drat him! "Ah, Minerva. Would you care for a lemon drop?" He held out a candy that smelled strongly of lemon and sugar. It was no wonder the man was so loopy.</p><p>Mentally flexing her muscles, she transformed herself back into the pinch-faced severe woman the Headmaster had been expecting to meet. "Albus," she greeted him stiffly, "How did you know it was me?"</p><p>"My dear Minerva, an ordinary cat would never have sat quite so stiffly on that wall. I imagine you have been here for quite some time. I apologize for my tardiness; there were some matters to clean up at the Ministry." Albus busied himself with trying to unstick two lemon drops as he spoke. When they finally broke apart with a soft crunching noise, he offered one to her again.</p><p>Turning up her nose, Minerva focused on the dark windows of Number Four. "Albus, what on earth have you brought me here for? You can't seriously be considering leaving the Potter triplets here, of all places?"</p><p>"Not considering, my dear, it is already done. Hagrid is bringing them here now." He sucked contemplatively on his sweet. "What they need now is protection only magic can bring them. It was James and Lily's wish that the triplets be left with Sirius or Peter first, and Petunia's family only as a last resort. Unfortunately, Sirius is now in Azkaban, Peter is dead, and much as it pains me the Ministry will not allow Remus to have custody of the children."</p><p>"Sirius in Azkaban? Peter dead?" Minerva gasped, outraged. "What on earth happened?"</p><p>"He went into a rampage, killed Peter and fifteen muggles in the middle of the street just over an hour ago. By the time I got there, he had already been detained and sent to the prison without a trial. There were so many witnesses, I had no chance of getting him a fair hearing." Albus was frowning sorrowfully. (Note: Albus did not know that Sirius was the real secret keeper. James and Lily kept that information secret only to themselves.)</p><p>In the distance, a low roaring sound could be heard.</p><p>"Ah! Here comes Hagrid now!" The old man sounded suddenly jovial as the triplets were brought to the last place they were wanted.</p><p>Minerva frowned up at the bike worriedly. It was not what she or Lily would have wanted, but at least it was a place where the boys would be well cared for. As Hagrid landed, all she could do was watch helplessly as the boys were placed snuggled against one another in a large basket on the doorstep, a thick parchment letter placed between their tiny hands.</p><p>"Albus, are you sure?" she tried one last time.</p><p>He sighed heavily, suddenly looking his years. "No, my dear, I am not. But there is little else I can do. It was Lily's wish, after all."</p><p>The three wizards took one last glance at the basket, Albus returned light to the street, and they tearfully returned back to the world they had come from, leaving Harry, Gary and Henry to face the shocked face of Petunia Dursley in the morning.</p><p>XOXOXOXOXOXOX</p><p>1991</p><p>Harry opened his eyes blearily as he woke at the sound of his cupboard door creaking open. He forced himself onto weary arms as he watched his eldest triplet brother walk into the room with their middle triplet brother, Gary, in tow. As soon as Gary saw him he streaked passed his older brother and launched himself onto the bed.</p><p>Henry and Gary had gotten up early to make breakfast for the dursleys or as Gary prefer to call them, the “pigs”. Harry was still soundly asleep in their quaint little cupboard but Henry and Gary could not find it in themselves to wake him up. Harry was the youngest of the triplets and thus, Henry and Gary were overprotective of Harry. </p><p>It has been almost eleven years since the triplets were left at the Dursley’s doorsteps. During this period of time, the triplets endured ridicule, scorn and lots of hardships. Sometimes physical punishments were inflicted on the triplets. Eventually, the triplets grew to despise their relatives and constantly hope for a miracle to save them from their relatives’ unpleasantness. </p><p>Apart from cold cucumber soup, the triplets seldom have anything else to eat. Of course, whenever they could indulge in luxurious extravaganza foods, the triplets would take pains to savor as much as they can. </p><p> The only boon for the triplets’ lives was school as the triplets were naturally intelligently and constantly score distinctions for their subjects. However, despite their academic brilliance, the triplets were labeled as troublemakers due to the constant weird things happening around them, Dudley’s gang and the dursleys.</p><p>Henry Potter was the eldest potter triplet and took it upon his responsibility to look after his little brothers. Gary Potter is the middle potter triplet and Harry Potter was the baby of the family.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Wizards?!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next day.....</p><p>Harry stirred the bacon, being sure to keep it from burning, all the while stealthily lifting a piece of toast from the top of a buttered stack and stuffing it into the pocket of his oversized sweatpants. A small tin of tomatoes and a chunk of cheese soon followed before the bacon was finished and he began serving his relatives. Dudley and Vernon always received the largest portions, while he and Aunt Petunia generally got the same amount, Harry because he was the "freak" and Petunia because she didn't want to ruin her slim figure.</p><p>As soon as he was finished, the ten-year-old boy rinsed his plates in the sink and took the empty plates and pans from the rest of the table and began to clean them. Only when he was finished could he safely escape the notice of his uncle and cousin as they watched the telly and Petunia as she perused the latest issue of Housewives.</p><p>Quickly and silently, Harry returned to his cupboard where his two triplet brothers was waiting for him. Henry and Gary pounced as soon as the door was closed on their narrow hideaway. "What did you get?"</p><p>Harry quickly produced the fruits of his labors, breakfast for his two brothers who were being punished for daring to bring a book on magic home from the library to read. The book had, of course, been destroyed, which meant the trio now had to find some way to get the money to replace it. There was no way Vernon would ever give them the money to pay library fines when, "it was their own fault, anyway."</p><p>"It's not much, but Uncle Vernon was watching me like a hawk, so I didn't dare take anything else," Harry explained.</p><p>Henry patted him on the shoulder as Henry quietly pried open the tin of tomatoes, spreading them on his two slices of toast, before handing one of them to Gary. He then promptly devoured the toast together with a chunk of cheese in five bites. "S'all right. I reckon we've done worse."</p><p>Harry grinned and leaned back against the lone pillow in their dingy cell. The string from the single light bulb overhead tickled his nose and he batted it away every few moments as he studied the collection of elementary school drawings they had decorated their room with. Each one depicted the three of them in various situations, most of which involved them escaping the Dursleys. His favorite was a picture, well hidden in the corner nearest the door because of what it represented, of them riding a flying motorcycle across a beautiful nighttime sky. The unnaturalness of it would have seen it destroyed immediately, but it was his prize possession and he had protected it well when he brought it home from third grade.</p><p>"Hey, Hen? Hey, Gary?"</p><p>His two older brothers grunted, laying the opposite direction on their narrow mattress.</p><p>"Our birthday is next week. Do you think anything good will happen?"</p><p>"What, like the Dursleys suddenly striking it rich and leaving us in this house to care for ourselves while they move to Majorca to live in a vacation home with Aunt Marge?" Henry asked.</p><p>Harry giggled. "That would be wicked."</p><p>Gary laughed. "Nothing could be better, I think. I just hope nothing can get worse."</p><p>"Yeah." Harry agreed.</p><p>They lay like that for another thirty minutes or so, until the distinct sound of the mail coming through the slot in the door could be heard. "Boy!" Vernon yelled, "Get the mail!"</p><p>The triplets rolled their eyes. As far as their Uncle was concerned, there might as well be one of them. Together, they left the cupboard, hoping they wouldn't get punished again, considering two of them was supposed to be grounded. The mat beside the door held a postcard from their Aunt Marge, two white envelopes that looked like bills, and…</p><p>Three letters for them. A letter for each of them.</p><p>It was addressed in emerald green ink and said:</p><p>———————</p><p>Mr Potter</p><p>The Cupboard Under the Stairs</p><p>4 Privet Drive</p><p>Little Whinging</p><p>Surrey</p><p>————————-</p><p>On the back there was a strange coat of arms depicting an eagle, a lion, a snake, and a badger and large letter 'H'.</p><p>They exchanged glances. "Wicked."</p><p>"Boy!" Vernon yelled from the next room. "Where's my mail? Dudley, go find out what he's doing to the mail!"</p><p>They gasped, trying to hide the letter, but they kept shuffling it back and forth between them and in the few moments it took Dudley to smack his way into the foyer with his Smeltings stick, they had done no hiding of it at all.</p><p>Their cousin immediately noticed what they were doing and gasped in outrage. "DAD!" he yelled, "THEY'VE GOT A LETTER!"</p><p>Pounding footsteps came in from the living room and the triplets tried desperately to hide their letters behind their backs as their Uncle came within inches of them, his hot breath fogging their glasses with his proximity.</p><p>"Letter? Why would you get letters?" Vernon whispered dangerously.</p><p>"Er… it was addressed to us," Henry said.</p><p>"Let me see it." Their Uncle held out his hand expectantly and Harry reluctantly handed over the strange parchment that had come for them.</p><p>By this time, Petunia had come in to see what the commotion was about and gasped at the sight of the letter. She came forward and the pair read the address on the letter and then flipped it over to see the seal.</p><p>"P-P-Petunia!" Dursley gasped.</p><p>"It's them!" she cried.</p><p>"Who's 'them,'" cried Harry, Gary and Henry in unison. "Yeah!" Dudley added lamely.</p><p>With a rough forceful tug, Verson skillfully grabbed all three letters. Then, he shouted.</p><p>"GO TO YOUR CUPBOARD!" Vernon thundered, taking Petunia by the shoulders as they disappeared into the living room, shutting the door behind them. Dudley tried to follow, only to be yelled at, probably for the first time in his memory, "Dudley, leave, just leave!"</p><p>The four boys immediately had a rough but quiet tumble over who was going to listen at the keyhole, which the triplets lost very quickly simply because of Dudley's Smeltings stick. Instead, they enjoyed the larger hole at the bottom of the door and began listening in time to hear:</p><p>"Petunia, we swore when we took them in that we would stamp out that nonsense! I won't have it, not under my roof!"</p><p>"But Vernon, look! They have the cupboard on here. What if they're watching?"</p><p>"Ha, ha! Even they can't keep watch on us all the time! You mark my words, I'll put a stop to this!"</p><p>The boys scuttled away from the door as Uncle Vernon reappeared, looking rather frazzled. He took the parchment in his hands and ripped it into tiny pieces before their eyes.</p><p>"Get your things together, boys. You're moving!"</p><p>Harry, Gary and Henry exchanged looks of horror. Leaving the Dursleys was the thing they had always hoped for, but this new mystery of the letter made them want to stick around a bit longer to find out who 'they' were and what it meant for them! There was also the fear that their Uncle would separate them through spite or by accident, and they absolutely couldn't let that happen!</p><p>But years of experience had taught them that arguing rarely worked with Vernon Dursley, so they disappeared into the cupboard and grabbed their meager possessions (Harry didn't dare to take the drawings, it would be best to try and return for them at a later date) before reconvening beside the front door.</p><p>Vernon surveyed them, looking pleased. "Right, follow me."</p><p>And to their surprise, he led them up the stairs and not out the door as they had been expecting. Dudley followed out of curiosity and the five of them arrived into Dudley's second bedroom. The room was called such because of the extraordinary quantity of presents that Dudley had broken or just never used over the years. As soon as he realized what was going on, though, their cousin broke into wails. "But this is my room, Daddy! I need it!"</p><p>"Silence, Dudley!" Vernon barked, yelling at his son for the second time ever. "There's nothing to be done about it!" He rounded on the triplets. "You three. You will sleep here from now on. And no funny business! Do I make myself clear?"</p><p>"Yes, Uncle Vernon," they answered obediently.</p><p>As soon as he was gone of course, they proceeded to demolish Dudley's carefully disorganized mess, keeping interesting tidbits here and there as they discussed the latest series of events.</p><p>"Hen? Har? I know I was just joking about the Dursleys leaving us to go live somewhere else, but I feel like that letter was something important. And it was addressed to us. Which means someone out there knows we exist and wants something to do with us." Gary said. He shuffled through a section of the pile, filling a bin with some of the things that were beyond help and setting aside others, like a broken alarm clock that had probably met with a wall the first time Dudley had used it.</p><p>"I know. I just hope whatever they want, it's something good. At the very least, I suppose they can't separate us, or won't want to. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been addressed to both of us." Harry smiled over the mountain of toys at his two brothers. He had already found a somewhat reparable tin car in the pile. It was only missing a wheel, and he was sure there would be something else with wheels in the pile that might fit.</p><p>A wail from downstairs made them pause in their sorting for a few moments. Dudley was clearly throwing a tantrum over the loss of his room, most likely complete with fake tears and kicking and screaming on the floor. Their cousin hadn't thrown a real tantrum in years, but he was still rather good at pretending to have them. They were gleeful to hear Petunia taking him to task: "They are going to live in that room, and that is final. They were getting too big for the cupboard, anyway." This last was said a tad louder than necessary, almost as if it were intended for prying ears. Whoever 'they' were, the Dursleys weren't taking any chances.</p><p>"Do you suppose whoever it was will try again, Hen?"</p><p>"I hope so. If they don't, we'll have to find out more about that crest somehow. I'll check the library at school when we start up again in September."</p><p>Little did they know that further research would be unnecessary.</p><p>XOXOXOXOXXOXOXOXOXOXO</p><p>"Gary, get the mail!" Petunia snapped at them the next morning. Henry was cooking a late brunch as it was Saturday, which left a pair of idle hands. Idle hands was one thing Petunia could not abide from them. As for Harry, let’s just say Henry and Gary managed to somehow protect Harry from having to do “slave duties” for the dursleys. </p><p>He obliged, secretly hoping that there would be another letter. Their Aunt and Uncle had apparently put the incident behind them after the destruction of the letter the day before and the subsequent relocation of their wards. So it was that Henry found the nine letters sitting on the mat that morning, three letters for each of them. Quickly, he picked three up and stuffed it into his pants, carrying the rest of them and a bill back into the kitchen.</p><p>"There's six more, Harry! Henry!" he cried, silently begging his triplets to forgive him for the mild fib.</p><p>Vernon made an inarticulate roar and snatched the mail from his hands before the triplets could rip open the letters. The six thick pieces of parchment were tossed into the small kitchen fireplace that Petunia used to bake crusty bread. A quick light of a match and the flames curled around the green ink. Harry, Gary and Henry watched on sadly as their hopes were burned up.</p><p>"Go to your cupboard… gah, room!" Dursley cried at them.</p><p>Gary hurried to oblige, dragging his brothers from the room and up the stairs before they could protest.</p><p>"Gary, what?"</p><p>"Shh, Har. Look!" He pulled the remaining three letters from the waistband of his pants, licking his lips as he held them out. “Let’s open them together,” </p><p>Nodding, Harry slid his finger along the flap, ripping the thick paper quickly, just in case Vernon was going to come and give them a talking to. Shoulder to shoulder, the pair started to read from their own letter. </p><p>———————-</p><p>Hogwarts School</p><p>of Witchcraft and Wizardry</p><p>Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore</p><p>(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,</p><p>Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)</p><p>Dear Mr Potter,</p><p>We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.</p><p>Yours sincerely,</p><p>Minerva McGonagall,</p><p>Deputy Headmistress</p><p>———————————</p><p>"What does it mean, they await our owl?" Harry decided to ask first.</p><p>Henry shook his head, reading the letter a second time. "Do you think this is real? Do you think we've really been invited to learn magic someplace?"</p><p>Feeling the heavy parchment between his fingers, reading the light scratch of the green ink on the paper, all he could do was nod. "Stranger things have happened to us, remember?"</p><p>Gary nodded, too. A lifetime of torment with the Dursleys had led to several unexplained things happening to the three of them. There was the time they were being chased by Dudley and his gang and they jumped behind the bin near the school cafeteria, and the next moment found themselves on the roof. Or more recently, when they had spoken to a snake at the zoo on Dudley's birthday. Vernon always punished them by making them go hungry and stay in their cupboard when these things happened.</p><p>"But what if those things are magic?" Harry whispered, afraid to believe it was true.</p><p>"Well, if they are, then we have a problem. Whatever the owl thing means, they're expecting us to acknowledge attendance before the end of the month! Not to mention, we have no idea how to get these supplies." Gary was looking at the second piece of paper, which looked to detail the books and other things they would need. "Books, uniforms, wands, cauldrons?" He scoffed at the list in disgust.</p><p>"We haven't any money, either," Harry reminded him reluctantly.</p><p>"We need help," Henry acknowledged grudgingly. "It's clear our relatives won't help. Think, Harry. Is there anyone we know who's just a little bit strange, a little bit magical?"</p><p>Harry pondered for a moment and named the only person he could think of, "Mrs. Figg?"</p><p>Henry and Gary looked at him with amazement for a moment before kissing their brother on the forehead. Both exclaimed in unison,"You're brill, Har! Come on, let's see if we can sneak out and go see her."</p><p>"Go see her?" Harry asked, aghast. "But she'll feed us stale cake and make us look at pictures of her cats and…"</p><p>"It's a small price to pay if she's actually a witch," Henry pointed out.</p><p>Pausing, Harry nodded a little to himself and followed his brother downstairs where they exploded out the front door to Uncle Vernon's yelling, "Get back here!" A few lawns over and they were ready to knock on Mrs. Figg's front door.</p><p>"Ready?" Gary asked, his hand poised.</p><p>Harry nodded and watched as his brother knocked. They waited in silence, their breaths held as they listened to see if she was coming.</p>
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